


Fey

by AgeOfAlejandro



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/F, F/M, potentially disturbing imagery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-29
Updated: 2012-01-29
Packaged: 2017-10-30 06:54:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,229
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/328994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AgeOfAlejandro/pseuds/AgeOfAlejandro
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was in times like this that Narcissa clung to the ethereal tatter of dreams. They were the edges of reality and she longed to escape hers.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fey

_Narcissa walked down a long corridor of empty, box-like rooms, each with a tiny window cut out of the wall and a pool of liquid moon on the floor. She heard a soft laugh up ahead and hurried toward the sound. There was a girl sitting in the moonlight, silently staring out the window and smiling at the moon. She looked like she was made of spun silver and watered silk. She turned away from the tiny window, feeling someone stare; their eyes met for a long moment and the girl laughed softly. She opened her mouth to speak, "Narcissa, when will you co—"_

She jerked awake, feeling empty and exhausted and bewildered. Screaming echoed up through the heating vent; Yaxley had stuffed another prisoner in the furnace from the sounds of it and she desperately hoped he wasn't going to turn the thing _on._ Last time, it had taken weeks of poor Dobby's efforts to get the smell of burnt flesh out of the carpets and hangings. Trying to keep her stomach from revolting at the thought of another burnt body, she let her mind drift back to the girl in the moonlight.

It was in times like this that Narcissa clung to the ethereal tatter of dreams. They were the edges of reality and she longed to escape hers. A monster lived in her house, tortured her child and her husband, and there was _nothing_ she could do to escape it. Dreams were as close to freedom as she could come without cutting the cord between this world and the next, either by her own hand or that of the Dark Lord's.

Not much of a choice.

* * *

The Dark Lord had a new prisoner hustled into the dungeon the night before, or so Lucius said. Draco had looked a little sick when Lucius had said the prisoner's name.

" _Luna Lovegood?"_ he had asked. "She's fragile, father. Be prepared to have her grave dug, because she isn't going survive very long down there."

"We shall keep your Aunt Bellatrix away from her," Lucius had said tiredly, "that should be enough to keep her alive."

* * *

That night, her sister came to the master suite, growling something about wanting to play with the pretty little doll.

"Doll, Bella?" Narcissa had asked mildly, putting down her sewing.

"Yes, _doll._ The Lovegood girl is a sylph!" Bellatrix stomped around the sitting room, casting shadows on bookcases in the lamplight. "And I want to play with her!"

"Bella," Narcissa sighed. "You're too old for dolls, darling. Women play with _marionettes_ , not dolls," she said slyly.

Bella huffed. "Rudolphus would be too stupid to notice if he actually _had_ strings coming out of his arms. And how has pulling _Lucius's_ strings worked for you lately?" she sneered.

"No need to be snide," Narcissa said tartly. "The Dark Lord holds strings I can't hope to trump, that I know."

Her sister growled something inarticulate and left, leaving Narcissa alone.

* * *

Lucius didn't come to bed that night, so Narcissa crept down into the dungeons. It was shameful that she, _mistress_ of this house, had to creep around. She pursed her lips briefly and went down the dark staircase that lead to the dungeons. Voldemort would hopefully move his head quarters elsewhere when the brat Potter was dead.

She reached the bottom of the stairs to find Dolohov sprawled out on a bench in the dim, wet corridor. "What _will_ the Dark Lord do with you?" Narcissa murmured softly as she made her way past him. She walked down the block of cells, searching for a new face. After passing many shuddering, shivering lumps of humanity, she found the new girl.

There was something...familiar about her, perhaps. Narcissa shifted and the sound of her bracelets chiming together made the girl wake.

Blue-green eyes met her gaze from a round, pale face. Thick, fine cornsilk curls framed a round face and tumbled down thin shoulders.

"Hello. Are you new, too?" she asked with a luminescent smile. The girl's attention seemed to wander from Narcissa's face, to her necklace, and then over her shoulder.

"No." Narcissa was faintly horrified that she sounded so stilted and _cold_. "I am Narcissa Malfoy."

"Ah," the girl said with a satisfied nod. "I'm Luna," she said, moving into the pool of moonlight on the floor of the cell. The moon cast her in silver, making her look like one of the sweet little fey that resided in children's stories. "You must be Draco's mum, then."

"I am," she agreed.

There was a long silence after that, because what does one say to a prisoner in one's own home? Luna didn't seem to be bothered by the quiet and picked at the frayed cuff of her jeans as Narcissa watched her. She looked up suddenly.

"It must be hard," Luna said softly.

"What must be hard?" Narcissa asked quickly.

"To be trapped in your own home." She looked sad. "I saw Draco and who I assume is your husband earlier. They both looked like they would rather be _anywhere_ but here. You have that same look in your eyes. Like you keep hoping this is some horrible dream you'll wake up from soon." She paused. "If you do, will you take me with you, Mrs. Malfoy? This dream isn't very nice." She stood and stepped out of the moonlight.

Narcissa leaned against the bars and wrapped her fingers around them, studying the girl as she approached. Bella was _right._ Luna was an acceptable height for a girl, but she still looked like a china doll. The girl moved gracefully, and so slowly as to be almost ponderous. Thick black eyelashes framed those aqua eyes and Luna seemed to be studying her as carefully as Narcissa was studying _her._ She had long, slim fingers, Narcissa noticed as the girl grazed them down the inside of her arm. Her touch was warm and butterfly-soft, but Narcissa felt a chill run down her spine.

Luna seemed to have noticed it, and she smiled at Narcissa for a moment before mapping out the bones in Narcissa's hand. She slowly ran her nail over the ridge of Narcissa's knuckles and trailed the pad of her forefinger down Narcissa's pinky. Luna watched her for a moment and then cupped her cheek. Pleasant shivers ran up Narcissa's neck.

There was something innocent and warm about the way Luna looked at her and she hadn't even noticed the way Luna had coaxed her into meeting her at eye level. The girl looked at her appraisingly for a moment and then kissed her on the mouth. It was a light, almost hesitant kiss and then Luna pulled away. She tucked a stray strand of Narcissa's hair behind her ear and looked into her eyes.

"It will be over soon," she said simply and stepped back.

Narcissa nodded dumbly, still stunned by the kiss, and stood up to her full height. She stared at Luna for a moment. She looked like a kind fairy queen and she smiled at Narcissa affectionately.

"Good night, Mrs. Malfoy," she said.

"It's Narcissa," Narcissa said vaguely.

"Good night, Narcissa," Luna corrected herself.

"Good night, Luna," Narcissa said, reluctant to turn and leave. Luna gave her a reassuring smile and then Narcissa found she could let herself go. Her moon-drenched fairy queen would be here in the morning.


End file.
